Knowledge intensive business services firms in a non-metropolitan area

Research to date on Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS) has addressed a range of aspects, including their characteristics, functions and geographical considerations. Most of the literature focuses on the role of KIBS within metropolitan areas that benefit from knowledge spillovers and the effects of agglomeration. This paper addresses the less-studied role of KIBS within peripheral areas, with reference to the BMW Region in Ireland. Through a survey of 103 KIBS suppliers, it explores the role and function of KIBS supplier firms in supporting clients' innovation management needs, and analyses the barriers to the uptake of KIBS. The importance of geographical proximity may be overstated as KIBS suppliers in peripheral regions achieved almost half of their sales in national and international markets. The success of these KIBS suppliers in overcoming geographical disadvantages could be attributed to the maintenance of national and international networks of professional associations and communities.